Wireless communication systems have developed through various generations, including a first-generation analog wireless phone service (1G), a second-generation (2G) digital wireless phone service (including interim 2.5G and 2.75G networks) and third-generation (3G) and fourth-generation (4G) high speed data/Internet-capable wireless services. There are presently many different types of wireless communication systems in use, including Cellular and Personal Communications Service (PCS) systems. Examples of known cellular systems include the cellular Analog Advanced Mobile Phone System (AMPS), and digital cellular systems based on Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), the Global System for Mobile access (GSM) variation of TDMA, and newer hybrid digital communication systems using both TDMA and CDMA technologies.
More recently, Long Term Evolution (LTE) has been developed as a wireless communications protocol for wireless communication of high-speed data for mobile phones and other data terminals. LTE is based on GSM, and includes contributions from various GSM-related protocols such as Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE), and Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) protocols such as High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA).
Access networks using various communication protocols (e.g., 3GPP access networks such as W-CDMA, LTE, etc., or non-3GPP access networks such as WiFi, WLAN or wired LAN, etc.) can be configured to provide Internet Protocol (IP) Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) services via an IMS network managed by a mobile network operator (e.g., T-MOBILE®) to users across a communications system. Users that access the IMS network to request an IMS service are assigned to one of a plurality of regional application servers or application server clusters (e.g., groups of application servers that serve the same cluster region) for supporting the requested IMS service.
One type of communication that may be supported by IMS services may be referred to as Rich Communication Services (RCS). RCS is designed to provide enhanced communications between mobile devices, including mobile devices that are supported by different operators. Among other things, RCS provides for enhanced messaging, which may include chat, file sharing, location sharing, and so forth.